New Zealand Earthquake Following Cyclone Gabrielle

By Elle Wei | 3 September 2023

Source: ABC News & AFP/Getty Images

Following tropical cyclone Gabrielle, an earthquake (15/02/23) struck near Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city. The earthquake reached a magnitude of 6.1 and struck at around 8 pm on Wednesday local time, according to New Zealand earthquake monitoring agency GeoNet.

The abysmal timing of the earthquake follows the devastating tropical cyclone Gabrielle (12/02/23) that caused significant flooding and landslides in New Zealand on Sunday, displacing over 10,000 civilians, cutting off entire towns, engulfing homes, trees, structures, farms and livestock and rendering hundreds of thousands of people without power in their homes.

Subsequent rain and flooding led authorities to declare a national state of emergency which was something that had not happened in decades. The death toll of the cyclone has since been reported to have risen to four. Officials have continued to rescue people from the affected areas and the New Zealand Defence Force has since deployed four planes, seven helicopters, two naval ships and 58 trucks to assist in rescue and recovery efforts. Local governments are also working to restore services to impacted communities by re-establishing communication channels and efficient transport mechanisms in and out of impacted areas.

References

CNN, Associated Press & 9News Staff, 2023, ‘Cyclone Gabrielle leaves four dead, including child, during unprecedented New Zealand weather event,’ 9NEWS, 15 Feb, viewed 16 Feb 2023, <https://www.9news.com.au/world/new-zealand-state-of-emergency-declaration-third-time-cyclone-gabrielle/d73153b5-0baa-4129-adb4-46e9955d5f60>.

Ng, K. & Radford, A. 2023, ‘Cyclone Gabrielle: Three dead after New Zealand declares state of emergency,’ BBC News, 15 Feb, viewed 16 Feb 2023, <https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64630183>.

ABC News, ‘Earthquake hits New Zealand as death toll rises to four in wake of Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle,’ ABC News, 15 Feb, viewed 16 Feb 2023, <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-15/new-zeland-cyclone-gabrielle-earthquake-forecast/101979346?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web>

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